Passenger Trains > Caltrain-1; Austin-Healey-0

A 1950's Austin-Healey was destroyed by a southbound Caltrain Baby Bullet last Saturday evening in Atherton, California when the classic car's driver, following GPS instructions, turned onto the railroad tracks (instead of the parallel roadway) and got stuck. The car driver quickly evacuated before the locomotive struck the vehicle at track speed, dragging it 1/4 mile before coming to a stop. The local newspaper reporter stated that "The car was entangled under the front grill of the locomotive". But I think, instead of the commuter train being pulled by U.P.'s former M-10001, it was actually an MP36PH-3C, judging from the nighttime photo published in the local newspaper.

The real tragedy is the loss of an AH... That was a beautiful car. I had an MG-TD around the AHs came out and was very envious!
Wish I still had the MG!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Sent from my IPhone X.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/18 20:49 by walstib.

I'm very, very glad and relieved the driver is fine. It is really too bad about his classic car. I wonder how much damage was done to the train?

I wonder what really was the cause of that classic car stopping on the tracks? I am pretty sure the local media will not report on the exact cause of this accident, because it will no longer be "breaking news". Not a slam on the news media, just the way the media always has worked.

I wonder how the insurance is going to handle this.....

What a loss.

Posted from iPhone

A car can withstand anything except a bad driver.

The score has now been upped to Caltrain-2, Cars-0.

Another driver last night, following his GPS instructions, turned onto the Caltrain tracks instead of the paralleling Alma Blvd at Charleston Rd in Palo Alto. Driver bailed as train approached. Scratch one automobile. 650 passengers were uninjured but delayed 60 minutes plus awaiting transfer to another train.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/18 22:31 by chakk.

When I read the topic I thought it would be that the car broke down and go stuck on the tracks, since that's what those cars do (I owned a Triumph that was great fun when it ran).

Perhaps cars of that vintage should not be mixed with GPS?

Actually, I've never had a GPS give me instructions that precise on a turn (turn in the next 10 feet?), and in any event, some visual navigation is usually helpful.

Jim B

jimB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Actually, I've never had a GPS give me
> instructions that precise on a turn (turn in the
> next 10 feet?), and in any event, some visual
> navigation is usually helpful.
>
> Jim B

Seems like driver error to me. Depending on the mapping software, your location on the map is not accurate due to time-lag, so if the driver steered his car based on the digital rendition of his location on the map instead of looking at the surroundings, guess who's fault that is?

The mapping software in theory could plot a path on the railroad tracks instead of Alma St., but an alert driver of reasonable competence should be able to tell where the road is. Imagine this kind of "error" on a "self-driving" vehicle, but I guess we don't need to go there.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Seems like driver error to me. Depending on the
> mapping software, your location on the map is not
> accurate due to time-lag, so if the driver steered
> his car based on the digital rendition of his
> location on the map instead of looking at the
> surroundings, guess who's fault that is?
>
> The mapping software in theory could plot a path
> on the railroad tracks instead of Alma St., but an
> alert driver of reasonable competence should be
> able to tell where the road is. Imagine this kind
> of "error" on a "self-driving" vehicle, but I
> guess we don't need to go there.

The accurate news report would say "...when the classic car's driver, misunderstanding GPS instructions, turned onto the railroad tracks..." Unless, of course, the GPS actually said "Turn right on railroad tracks."

True story: One time when I was driving with my GPS on I noticed its displayed pathway for me made a very short jog off of the road to the right. When I reached that spot it told me to make a right turn to be shortly followed by another right turn...which would have routed me into the horseshoe shaped driveway of a home and right back out the other end of it back onto the road to be on my way. Never could figure out how it came up with that, unless one of its programmers had a grudge against that home's occupants.